


full spectrum speedsters

by Verdantei (Zerrat)



Category: RWBY
Genre: Arcades, Competitive Date, F/F, First Date, First Kiss, Fluff, Mario Kart Expy, Video & Computer Games
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-26
Updated: 2015-01-26
Packaged: 2018-03-09 03:56:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,270
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3235397
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zerrat/pseuds/Verdantei
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Weiss' first date with Ruby is nothing like what she'd expected.</p>
            </blockquote>





	full spectrum speedsters

**Author's Note:**

> In which Weiss and Ruby go head to head in ~~arcade Mario Kart~~ an _unnamed brightly coloured original racing game_ on their first date. They get as over-competitive as expected.

"What exactly are we doing _here_?" Weiss asked, her voice slow and skeptical as she turned to Ruby. A sinking feeling had already starting up in her stomach, and all she could think to ask was _why_.

On the day Ruby had finally - _finally_ \- worked up the courage to ask her out on a date, Weiss had of course graciously agreed. With one proviso, of course. 

They would not be going anywhere near the Beacon firing range. 

Ruby had ducked her head and rubbed the back of her neck, looking both sheepish and incredibly disappointed by the condition. Weiss had known at that point that she'd dodged quite the metaphorical bullet, and out of both sympathy and self-preservation, she'd helpfully drawn up a list of acceptable first date locations. While it had been grudging, Ruby _had_ accepted it. 

After a truly exasperating amount of indecision, with a monumental sigh, Ruby had selected "movie and dinner" from the comprehensive list of Schnee-approved choices. Weiss could understand her lack of enthusiasm, but as boringly simplistic as such a choice was, it was for the best. 

It wasn't like Weiss could be blamed for providing a list - she wanted this date to be _perfect_ , so it would be nice if it didn't end in... so many fiery explosions. 

Well. Weiss wanted to reduce the likelihood of such an outcome as much as possible, anyway. It never was a sure bet in Vale, and with Ruby, that chance was greater than average. A part of Weiss did feel an addictive thrill at the prospect of danger - so if that was how the cards played out that night, then who was she to argue?

Still, Weiss wasn't going to take chances, not this time. She'd been so _careful_! With Ruby in possession of the list and Blake and Pyrrha running distraction with Yang - there would be no highly-questionable romantic advice from that hothead tonight, or Weiss was going to swallow Myrtenaster whole - it had seemed almost impossible for things to go wrong. 

Weiss really _should_ have known better than to relax, but she was still speechless to find herself out the front of the downtown Vale arcade. 

Weiss knew all about the place, of course. Based on the copious "war-stories" she'd been subjected to over the years, Ruby and Yang had frequented this dimly-lit premises during their younger days, and they weren't the only ones. Nora was rather loud when it came to the whack-a-mole high score she maintained with an iron grasp, and during her few dates with Neptune, Weiss had somehow managed to look interested during his blow-by-blow explanations of his DDR achievements. 

Supposedly, Sun had convinced him to start up in an attempt to improve his poor dancing skills - not that Weiss had been able to tell it had much of an effect.

In short, it wasn't exactly high on the list of places a Schnee heiress tended to frequent. It certainly wasn't "perfect date" material, either. As Weiss cast a long-suffering look in Ruby's direction, she was sure her thoughts on the whole proposal would have been obvious to a blind ursa. 

That in no way meant that her partner was deterred.

"C'mon Weiss!" Ruby exclaimed, pumping her fist and looking entirely too enthusiastic about the arcade than was probably healthy. "I _promise_ it'll be fun! Trust me?"

"Ruby..." Weiss groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose between her thumb and forefinger and shaking her head. 

Ruby didn't seem bothered by Weiss' lukewarm response, wrapping a warm arm about Weiss' and pulling her in against her side with wiry, steady strength. If anything, she was making up for Weiss' comparative lack of enthusiasm for the idea, her entire body practically buzzing with barely-contained energy. 

Really, that girl was _far_ too much like her older sister sometimes, Weiss noted with an internal sigh. 

"Just for the while!" Ruby continued, squeezing Weiss' shoulder in what she probably thought was a reassuring fashion. "The movie isn't for another half hour, and, well... you already bought the tickets ahead of time. We have to do something."

"It hardly hurts to be prepared, and that line was out the door." Weiss frowned, then, recalling the name of the movie Ruby had practically begged her for. " _Sharkula versus Ironzilla_? What kind of movie _is_ -"

"Nevermind all that! We have a whole half hour to kill, and I just know you'll like this place!" Ruby leaned in then, lips suddenly incredibly close to the shell of Weiss' ear. The tickle of her breath caused Weiss' own to catch oddly in her throat, her heart hammering double-time. "Please?"

Weiss sighed, louder this time, trying to ignore the heat rising in her cheeks. She was not going to relent, there were far more worthy and less incredibly embarrassing ways to spend half an hour. 

Ruby tugged at her sleeve, letting out a small plaintive whine. In spite of herself, Weiss' gaze cut back to Ruby's, and she groaned internally. That wide-eyed puppydog look of Ruby's was her greatest weapon, and it always did away with Weiss' every half-hearted complaint. 

How could Ruby have gotten so tall, but _still_ be able to pull of such an adorably disarming expression? Weiss looked aside, pursing her lips. There really was no justice in the world. 

"All right, fine," she said, relenting. She cast her partner an irritated look she couldn't quite maintain, the corner of her mouth instead curling into a reluctant smile. "I suppose I'd rather you waste all that pent up energy in here than in the cinema." All of a sudden, Weiss became aware of just how that might be construed, and quickly, she continued, "You know. Sitting still."

"Uh, yes," Ruby replied, drawing out the words cautiously. She squinted across at Weiss for a moment before adding, "Yang would have had a field day with that."

"Don't I know it," Weiss scoffed, crossing her arms. "Come on. Let's just go, before I change my mind."

Ruby beamed down at her, and with the fuzzy, warm feeling rising up Weiss' chest, it was hard to maintain any sense of trepidation. Somehow, Ruby just managed to put her at ease, so without a further word, Weiss braced herself and followed her partner into the arcade.

The interior was lit poorly enough to be a health hazard, only bright screens and neon tubing providing just enough light to know where she was stepping. The grating, electronic screech of the DDR machine toward the back of the arcade was blaring through speakers hidden throughout the building, and with some incredulousness and a cringe, Weiss couldn't help but note the ground was _sticky_.

Still, she'd given her word, and despite claims to the contrary, Weiss was not the sort of Schnee to take such a thing lightly. So, with only the faint suggestion of a scowl, Weiss trailed after Ruby, half a step behind her partner as they wove through the people flocking to the arcade. That ever-present red cape and hood had been reduced to a nigh unidentifiable grey smear of a colour, only highlighted by the splashes of neon light from the screens all around.

Completely unaware of Weiss' misgivings, Ruby flashed an excited grin over her shoulder, almost vibrating on the spot with sheer _energy._ In all honesty, Weiss hadn't seen her so excited before - not unless it involved over-complex weaponry and hunting. It hardly that Ruby was burning herself out in her classes - far from it, in Weiss' honest opinion - it was still nice to see her completely relaxed in an environment entirely unrelated to hunting. 

Open, unrestrained joy... it was what made Ruby so strangely charismatic. It something that Weiss both admired in her partner and envied. It was why they'd gone from partners to trying for something more.

Weiss' thoughts must have shown on her face, as Ruby's grin grew a little wider.

Her lips moved - Weiss couldn't make out what she was saying over that tasteless DDR music - and suddenly she'd reached out and grasped Weiss' hand in her own. Her hands were calloused from training, her grasp warm and strong as she tugged Weiss in closer. For a moment, the smell of roses was enough to drown out the stale buttered popcorn and drinks so sugary Weiss' teeth already ached, and she felt her breath catch.

Ruby was still smiling, unguarded and purely affectionate, and no matter the tacky surroundings, Weiss felt herself return it. She couldn't quite tear her gaze away from the inviting curve of Ruby's lips, her own mouth suddenly going impossibly dry.

Maybe if Weiss tasted them, just for a moment, she'd be able to get the whole idea out of her head. She'd be able to think _critically_ , and maintain a little poise. Sighing over her partner like some love-struck fifteen year old was hardly befitting of someone with her education, training, _upbringing_ \- her father would have had a fit if he'd seen it. 

But despite all that, she enjoyed it. What she had with Ruby was nothing like she'd been taught to expect and value, but that was the whole _point_ , really. Very deliberately, Weiss relaxed her shoulders and squeezed Ruby's hand back, determined to do away with the edge of worry that had coloured the afternoon so far. 

There was no need to be so concerned with making the date perfect. She exhaled softly. Just having Ruby there with her was enough, wasn't it?

"Do you even know where you're going?" Weiss asked loudly, her voice somehow even and clear, even if her heart was pounding hard enough to rival the music. 

Ruby tugged on Weiss' hand, carefully leading the way past a group of Signal students and heading for something at the very rear of the arcade. 

"Of _course_ I do, Weiss! But we're not just here for me." Ruby threw her other hand out, gesturing grandly to the arcade about them, as if it was some sort of holy land and not some tacky hodge-podge of equipment. "We're here for you, too!"

"I suppose," Weiss replied grudgingly, still incredibly dubious no matter how sweetly Ruby smiled. She cast a careful eye around, trying to understand exactly what Ruby saw in the place. Off to the side, she could see that whack-a-mole of Nora's, and to their left, some sort of bizarre-looking horror shoot-'em-up let out a blood-curdling scream. 

Weiss raised an eyebrow. None of it looked promising in the least. 

"Why don't you pick?" she said finally, pressing the heel of her palm into her temple. The music was giving her a headache. "I'm not sure I have the... knowledge."

_Or the strength of will, truth be told._

Out the corner of her eye, Weiss watched Ruby's smile become absolutely megawatt. A chill ran down Weiss' spine, her aura prickling in response. It felt very much like she'd blundered headlong into a trap.

 _There **are** no mistakes when it comes to Ruby,_ Weiss reassured herself, swallowing. _Not like with my father or the company. Not -_

"Oh, Weiss," Ruby sighed, shaking her head. The wicked glint in her silver eyes made Weiss' pulse spike and a thrill run down her spine. She tugged on Weiss' hand once more. "You're gonna regret this _so_ much."

###

Admittedly, despite the threat, Weiss hadn't been taking the entire thing as seriously as she should have, when Ruby dragged her over some out-dated looking racing pod in the far corner of the arcade. The cabinet was coloured in eye-searing primaries, and some screeching, upbeat theme song blared from the tinny speakers. The pod seemed entirely enclosed, two seats to the plywood cabinet, and the marquee above it displayed the name of the game in flickering, fluorescent backlight - _Full Spectrum Speedsters_. 

The game looked worn out, well-loved but quiet, and at her side, Ruby looked near ready to explode as she pushed Weiss in the direction of one of the seats. Weiss bit back her instinctual grumble, merely sliding into the side and giving it a skeptical once-over. The interior smelled of that same old, stale popcorn scent that pervaded the arcade, and it was as horribly coloured as the outside. On the dash, there was what looked to be some basic analogue of a steering wheel, and the board behind it was covered in a truly mystifying number of buttons. 

"You are gonna _love_ this one!" Ruby exclaimed, breathless and clambering into the other side. Her hands were a blur of motion as she shoved quarter lien in the slot at the side. "Yang and I used to get dropped off here when dad and Qrow visited Beacon."

"Of... course," Weiss allowed, raising an eyebrow and somehow even less convinced than she'd been before. The whole set-up looked ridiculous, more like a child's game than anything else - but then, so did the rest of the arcade's offerings. 

Sighing, Weiss obediently parted with her coins, watching them vanish into the machine with no small amount of frustration. The burned-out screen flickered then, Ruby hitting buttons on the dash and skipping through a set of options so fast Weiss couldn't follow, before bringing up what looked like character selection. 

Weiss didn't do video games, but she wasn't a _complete_ dunce. 

"Dibs on red racer!" Ruby cut in, as if Weiss had actually had a chance to argue the point before her selection flashed across the smudged-up display. 

"Why?" Weiss asked, shooting Ruby a narrow, suspicious look. "What's so good about the red one?" 

"Red goes faster. _Everybody_ knows that, Weiss," Ruby replied, snorting under her breath as though the answer should have been obvious. 

Weiss rolled her eyes - she should have really expected that sort of nonsense from Ruby. 

"Sorry for asking." 

Still, she made no comment as she scrolled across to a blue racer on a whim. There seemed to be some sort of statistics to the side of each character, not that she could really divine what "special" was meant to imply. She ignored them. With a game that looked as childish as this, just how much could it matter?

Ruby was still buzzing in her seat as Weiss confirmed her choice, hunched down over the steering wheel. Her grey eyes were intent on the screen as their racers - two of eight - were set down on some cartoony-looking beach. Weiss sighed, drumming her fingernails on the plywood dash behind her own wheel, bored as the countdown commenced. 

Ruby's eyes kept darting toward her, and Weiss felt a stab of confused irritation. Just what was she - ?

"Last one to the finish pays for dinner!" Ruby exclaimed with a whoop as the start light flashed green, loud enough to shatter what little concentration Weiss had been sparing the game. As Weiss reeled, blinking rapidly and wondering if she'd partially lost hearing in her ear, it cost her precious starting seconds as her racer skidded on the spot. 

She was in last place by the time her racer righted itself, and infuriated by the cheap trick, she glared across at Ruby. Her partner didn't even manage to spare her an innocent look - she was so focused on the screen in front of her that it might as well have been a pack of Grimm. 

Lip curling in disgust, Weiss turned back to her screen. She shouldn't have fallen for it, and that was the most insulting part. 

"You're going down," she said to Ruby in the most chilled tone she could manage - at least while her racer was getting bogged down in some absurd analogue of... _quicksand_? On a beach? Weiss scowled. What sort of game was this?

Ruby's answering grin was wide, even if she didn't look away from the screen. "Big words, Weiss. I'd like to see you back them up!"

"Oh, you'd better believe I will, Ruby Rose. I don't lose," Weiss scoffed, her eyebrows drawing together as she smashed a set of buttons on the dash for decidedly mixed results. 

She was serious - she'd always been a quick study, from her classes, her lessons with her tutors, with Dust. She was good, and she wasn't afraid to admit it. Whatever she did this time, though, absolutely nothing seemed to go her way. She careened off the edge of a seaside cliff, she rammed into bombs and slipped on a banana. Somehow, she even got slapped in the face with a half-frozen swordfish and ended up launched into deep water by an _exploding umbrella_. By the time she dragged her blue racer around the final lap and across the finish line, Ruby had been done for minutes, savouring her spot in first place.

Weiss, however, had placed _last._

"I - you -" Weiss managed to force out, still opening gaping at the race results displayed so _proudly_ across the screen. She blinked rapidly, desperate to dispel the odd mix of numbness and disbelief that had consumed her toward the end of the race. 

Still unsuccessful, shoulder slumping, she watched her racer take an entirely undeserved victory lap from behind the rows of race results and times. It was only when she realised that, beside her, Ruby was _still_ in the middle of her ridiculous, showboating victory dance that she could get a handle on what had just happened. 

"Impossible," Weiss finally managed, leaning back in her chair and folding her arms, her gaze cutting across to Ruby. 

Ruby's grin was bright enough to rival the sun, and finishing up with her celebrations, she leaned across, resting her chin in the palm of her hand. "Did you actually mean to flop that badly, or...?"

Weiss nearly choked. " _What_ did you say?"

"Oh, nothing. Just that I'm sure it was all intentional, losing that badly!" Ruby's smile grew sly as she added in a tone that was far too saccharine, "You know. Since you don't lose and all."

Weiss' jaw tightened convulsively, and when her gaze cut across to Ruby, she was certain there was icy hell in her eyes. Slowly and deliberately, she took hold of the worn out arcade steering wheel once more, not lowering her gaze from Ruby's for a moment. 

"Oh. So that's the way it is?" Weiss' tone was like winter, but from the way Ruby rolled her eyes and muttered under her breath, it hardly had the desired effect. "In that case, we are not leaving this arcade until I've taught you a _lesson_ you'll never forget." 

The rational, logical part of Weiss' mind was practically screaming that she was meant to be on a date with this - this _hell-raiser_ in red - and that up until now, she'd been intent on it being perfect and she was ruining all that hard effort! The whole lot was drowned out by white-hot competitiveness, the hungry desire to win and wipe the smug smirk right off Ruby's face. 

She'd be respected. She'd be loved, and when she defeated Ruby, she'd swoop in and kiss her like some sort of hero. The plan was perfect. 

Ruby seemed satisfied with Weiss' declaration, smirking and offering her hand as she said in a lofty tone, "You're on, Weiss."

Weiss ignored the proffered hand in favour of shoving more coins in the machine with vengeful efficiency, and after a moment, she heard Ruby do just the same. 

Her eyes narrowed as they arrived at the selection screen once more. She was going to win, even if it was the last thing she did.

###

A part of Weiss had known she was in trouble the moment she'd pulled her credit card out. But when Ruby had dug into her own reserve supply of coins, all Weiss had been concerned with was falling any _further_ behind. 

Both of them were loath to lose, apparently, and they'd settled in for the long haul. A half-eaten bucket of popcorn stood on Ruby's side of the pod, stray unpopped kernels littering the brightly painted plywood, rocking dangerously as Ruby hammered at the buttons at some absurd, preternatural speed that _had_ to be semblance-touched. Weiss herself was most of the way through a lurid red slushie, the remainder of the ice reduced to lukewarm syrup as she focused on the screen, sweat beading at her brow as her blue racer veered behind Ruby's red one. 

They'd been at it for hours. The movie they'd been going to see had been completely forgotten in a haze of sledging, cheap theatrics on both their parts, and a rivalry so intense Weiss could probably have had it bottled and used as a Dust substitute. 

Once Weiss had understood the bizarre, chaotic rhythm of the game, she'd quickly begun closing the insane gulf in skill between herself and Ruby. Of course, the randomised tracks weren't exactly helpful, and Ruby seemed to know every twist of them like she knew the interior mechanisms of Crescent Rose.

It should have been impossible to even bother challenging her with a hope of winning. Weiss, however, was a Schnee, and she was not a top student for nothing. The moment she'd begun to take the whole thing seriously, focusing in with a razor-sharp concentration, she'd quickly given Ruby a proper run for her money. 

_Not close **enough** ,_ Weiss growled silently as her racer pulled across the finish line, just a fraction of a second behind Ruby's. Really, she needed to stop falling for the bomb drop on sharp corners that Ruby was so fond of. This was ridiculous!

Ruby, on the other hand, was looking insufferably smug about the whole thing as she reached forward and shoved another handful of popcorn in her mouth. 

"Still want to challenge me again, Weiss?" Ruby mumbled around it, somehow managing to grin as she swallowed. "There's no shame in defeat."

Weiss' eyes narrowed dangerously, and she snapped, "I'll get you yet, Ruby Rose." 

Ruby only laughed at that. There was nothing delicate or refined about the giggle, the way Weiss had been instructed countless times - but it was genuine and achingly heartfelt. 

"You sound like a cartoon villain," Ruby said after a moment, tilting her head to the side. "It's actually sort of cute."

Weiss' tongue felt as though it had frozen in her throat, her words completely failing her as she felt her cheeks flush hot. The odd comment had caught her completely off-guard - or maybe it was just the way Ruby looked at her as though she was the only thing that mattered. 

It was... nice. Still, Weiss hardly had the time to bask when she had a point to make. 

"If you think that's going to distract me, then I have _news_ for you," Weiss managed with a huff, setting her hands back on the arcade steering wheel and waiting for the track to load. As the moments ticked on, however, she grudgingly allowed her gaze to cut back toward Ruby. "Does Yang know you behave so atrociously on dates?"

Ruby's grin widened. "Who exactly do you think put me up to this?"

Weiss pinched the bridge of her nose between her thumb and forefinger, trying to mask her answering smile with feigned frustration as she said, "Your family has some highly questionable ideas on romance, Ruby. Remind me to feed her homework to Zwei."

"I think she's tried that before," Ruby replied, rapidly tapping the continue button, the movement almost absent as her expression turned thoughtful as she considered Weiss. "Didn't _work._ I guess she gets points for trying?"

Weiss grumbled under her breath. She wasn't sure why she was surprised. Still, Ruby hadn't looked back to the screen, a smile on her lips and a glint of amusement in her eyes. Despite the warm heat that rose up in Weiss' chest, she couldn't help but brace herself. 

Over the past however many hours it had actually been - really, it was such a hazy blur, at this point - it had been made abundantly clear that Ruby was not above using underhanded tricks, both in-game and out. The _accidental_ , over-excited elbows landing in Weiss' side, the odd popcorn kernels flicked at her nose, the obnoxious whoops right when Weiss was on the most unforgiving part of a given track...

Ruby played to win, but with the warm buzz of over-competitive heat in her veins, Weiss began to toy with the idea herself. So what if Ruby was a hell-raiser carefully disguised as a Beacon student? Two could play at that game, and as the race countdown on the screen began, Weiss didn't even stop to think. 

Keeping both hands on her steering wheel, Weiss leaned across the pod. Ruby's grey eyes flickered over to her, again and again as if torn between paying attention the race or Weiss. In the wash of primary colours from the screen, Weiss could see a warm flush rising high in Ruby's cheeks, watched her swallow hard. 

Exactly as expected, Ruby let out a surprised yelp as Weiss pressed her lips to the corner of her mouth. She jolted violently toward Weiss, fast enough to shed rose petals, her breath coming fast and her face suddenly flushed an even darker shade of red than her hood. 

In that moment, the light on the screen finally turned green. Whatever Ruby had been expecting, a kiss had apparently not been included on that list. 

"That was _cheap_!" Ruby spluttered, her voice several octaves higher than normal. She slammed her hands against the buttons, desperately trying halt her racer's skidding as the rest of the AI - and Weiss - zoomed past. Her lip jutted in a stubborn pout. "I can't believe you used our first kiss as a distraction!"

"And your boots all over my dash was _fair_?" Weiss asked, quirking an eyebrow. She didn't let her gaze so much as flicker from the screen, afraid to even take the time to blink as she raced to finally defeat her arch-nemesis. Out of habit more than anything else, Weiss continued, "You can't have it both ways, Ruby."

Ruby huffed under her breath. "I can _try._ "

The kiss was more effective than Weiss had estimated. Ruby was rattled, making mistakes where before there had been flawless reflex, doubts in place of ingrained skill. She'd hardly posed a threat to speak of for the rest of the race, but it was only when her blue racer cruised across the finish line in first place that Weiss dared to relax her death grip on the steering wheel. It was several seconds later that Ruby's red racer came in behind her. 

Sagging back in her seat, Weiss let out a long sigh of blissful satisfaction, the buzz of adrenaline and undeniable sweet victory in her veins. Finally, she'd made good on her promise and defeated Ruby! Of course, that hardly made up for all the times she'd embarrassingly lost, but it was going to have to do. At least she'd be able to look herself in the eye in the mirror tonight.

Beside her, Ruby slumped forward on the dash, groaning loudly under her breath as she buried her face in her forearms. Weiss did feel a little sorry for her, but after all the disgraceful showboating she herself had been subjected to over the past few hours, though... Payback was well and truly justified.

"How does it feel, losing to a... what was it you called me before? A 'noob'?" Weiss asked, pronouncing the word delicately as Ruby whined again. She smirked. "Looks like the roles have reversed. A good thing, too. You were getting ahead of yourself."

That earned a reaction - Ruby looked up sharply, her grey eyes narrowing as she stared at Weiss for one long moment. Her jaw jutted stubbornly, and she quickly pushed herself back to sitting position. Weiss watched in consternation as she cracked the knuckles of both her hands, unable to help but twitch at the sound. 

"Oh, it's _on_ , Weiss," Ruby declared, reaching for her pockets for her loose quarter lien as she jabbed another finger in Weiss' direction. "If you thought I was kicking your butt badly enough before, think again!"

Weiss scoffed, rolling her eyes at her partner. "You can try. Not that it matters now." 

In all honesty, despite the creeping feeling that she was going to pay dearly for her tricks, Weiss felt a heated thrill run down her spine at the open challenge in Ruby's expression. Raw enthusiasm wasn't something Weiss had experienced a great deal - not before she'd come to Beacon. Her tutors would never have countenanced such a loss of poise and calm, and even now, three years into her training, she found it difficult to allow herself to slip. 

But for Ruby, it was natural and easy, even _infectious._ It gave Weiss something she'd been missing for years, and she'd come to love Ruby for it. 

Weiss exhaled softly, her mouth suddenly dry as she watched the play of light on Ruby's profile. She really was in too deep, wasn't she?

She listened to Ruby muttering under her breath as she flicked through the game options once more, warmth rising up in her chest again, the strength of her affection almost too much to bear. Seeking a distraction from it, Weiss reached out and took hold of the cheap cardboard cup. 

She swirled it absently, the sad remains of her red slushie slowly beginning to seep through the bottom quarter of the cup. The concoction was absolutely awful in its overbearing sweetness - supposedly raspberry, but Weiss was certain it was just sugar - but she took another sip regardless. 

By the time Ruby was done setting up the next match, Weiss had downed the last of her slushie, but her throat seemed no less parched, her stomach no less fluttery. She settled her hands on the steering wheel, feeling somewhat odd, intending to narrow her focus down to the task at hand -

She froze as Ruby slung an arm about her shoulders as the camera descended upon the race, her heart thundering in her ears because what in the world was that idiot going to do? She couldn't seem to focus as the timer began, her face unbearably hot, blinking rapidly as she tried to settle her nerves. 

It was only when Ruby's red racer left Weiss' behind in a cloud of dust that she was able to gather her poise enough to glare across at her partner. Ruby, however, hadn't removed her arm from about Weiss' shoulders. In some sort of display of both skill and pure stubbornness, she was negotiating the track with just one hand on the wheel. 

When Ruby's gaze darted back to Weiss', her racer veering dangerously over the track, understanding struck Weiss like a bolt of lightning. The heavy flush in her cheeks, the way she kept glancing breathlessly in Weiss' direction, wetting her lips with a flick of her tongue - 

Weiss swallowed, heat spiking in her stomach, completely unable to look away. 

She didn't want to be the first one to throw the race, she really didn't. But it seemed as though she had little say in the matter, with the way her focus had shattered entirely, suddenly entirely captivated by the warm, wiry strength of Ruby's arm around her. Without thinking, Weiss' racer hit one of the cannons lining the track. 

With the haphazard way Ruby was driving now, Weiss knew she could come back from that. But gods, what was she _doing_? Was she really going to waste this chance over a stupid game?

"Oh, for the love of -" Weiss managed before cutting herself off, releasing the steering wheel with a sharp exhale. She didn't let herself think, desperate to shove away the baggage of a thousand hard-learned lessons about the pitfalls of emotion and impulsivity. 

With Ruby, she reminded herself, trailing her fingertips across the line of Ruby's jaw, none of that mattered at all. 

This time, Ruby met her half way, tilting her chin just slightly to press her warm, soft lips against Weiss' own. Weiss exhaled shakily at the sensation, her eyes fluttering closed as she revelled in the overpowering scent of roses and Ruby's shampoo. The kiss tasted wasn't as sweet as Weiss had imagined when her mind had wandered during Professor Port's lectures, more like buttered popcorn, or the ridiculous candy Ruby had been devouring before that.

For all its differences to her daydreams, this kiss was better. It was real, with Ruby's warm, eager breath against her skin, the way her fingers had curled into the collar of her bolero, the way they'd tangled in her hair. Weiss wasn't sure when she'd allowed herself to get tugged halfway across into Ruby's driving pod, but she had to reach out and brace herself against the rickety chair for balance. 

Ruby murmured something, soft and sweet and pleasant, and it lulled Weiss' senses dangerously. A dozen beowolves could have been tearing apart the arcade around them for all she knew, and while that should have worried her, for now... it was perfectly fine by Weiss. 

She could have just one thing for herself, couldn't she? One exception?

Weiss wasn't sure how much time had gone before Ruby finally pulled away, but not far, bumping her forehead up against Weiss' own.

"You taste like red," Ruby said, her voice breathless and unsteady, a flush high in her cheeks. Weiss brushed her thumb across her jaw, before carefully tucking a stray lock of dark hair behind Ruby's ear. Only years of etiquette lessons kept Weiss' hands from trembling from the sheer intensity of it all. 

"Shut up, Ruby," Weiss replied, fond and exasperated and adoring all at once. 

Ruby grinned at her response, pressing a final kiss to Weiss' lips before looking back to the screens. Her expression became apologetic - but only slightly. 

"Looks like the game timed out, though," Ruby explained, her grey eyes flickering back, watching as Weiss settled back in her chair. As if completely unable to maintain a straight face, that delighted grin was back in full force as she asked, "You don't want to bail, huh?"

"You know I do," Weiss replied, a thrill running down her spine as Ruby's hand slipped into her own.

It was dark by the time they finally picked their way free of the arcade. Since they'd well and truly missed the session they'd bought tickets for, there was little to be done for it. Perhaps there was another showing of the film later on, but in all honesty, Weiss would be happier retreating to somewhere more private. 

She still couldn't seem to wrest her gaze from the curve of Ruby's lips. So much for getting it out of her system, she decided, a wry twist to her mouth. 

"You _look_ as if you've had fun," Ruby said after a moment, her breath rising in a mist before her lips as she slowed to a stop in the quiet Vale street. "Even if it wasn't on the List."

Weiss' eyebrows rose in surprise. She hadn't even thought of that slip of paper for hours now, or how the arcade had stacked up to all those more refined options. That was an answer in and of itself - it _had_ been a good date, and more. 

A few hours ago, Weiss never would have believed it. 

"You were right, I suppose," Weiss replied, giving Ruby a magnanimous wave of her hand. Of course, she wasn't just going to let Ruby take a total victory. "Miracles can happen. Just don't get used to it."

Ruby laughed, bright and sunny even in the night's chill, and Weiss felt a flush rise in her cheeks in response. What she'd done to deserve this girl, she didn't know. But somehow, they worked in all the ways Weiss had never expected.

After a moment, Weiss added, her voice soft, "I'll... trust your judgement a little more, next time. You still want to go see that movie?"

Ruby hummed under her breath, closing the gap between them as she wrapped an arm around Weiss' shoulders. "Yup."

"You actually still feel like it, after..." Weiss waved a vague hand, frowning and disappointed in that answer. Maybe she'd wanted to kiss Ruby more, and given the way her partner had been looking at her in the arcade, she'd been sure the feeling was mutual. 

Ruby took one look at her expression and laughed again, delighted. "The _movie_ isn't why I want to go, Weiss." In that moment, the grin on her lips became positively wolfish. 

Weiss looked across at her, still frowning as Ruby gave her shoulder a squeeze. 

_Movie... a dark cinema..._ Weiss' eyes widened as the lien dropped, and her face grew impossibly hot. 

"Oh." Weiss cleared her throat very deliberately, her heart racing a mile an hour as she imagined tasting Ruby's lips again in the darkened back row of the cinema. That was more than acceptable. Her words were still slightly strained as she continued, "Well. I'd never argue with that, of course. Lead the way."

Ruby giggled then, impulsively leaning down and pressing a quick kiss to Weiss' cheek. "After all that time ahead of you in the game, I'm rather... leadered out."

Weiss swatted her shoulder, but there was no vehemence in her tone as she replied, "Idiot."

She couldn't quite get her own smile under control as she matter-of-factly took Ruby's hand, leading them both toward where the cinema stood out in flashing lights at the end of the street. The whole date had been nothing like what Weiss had expected, but that really characterised her entire relationship with Ruby since the beginning. 

A date at the arcade had been _them_ , and in retrospect, Weiss wouldn't have had it any other way.


End file.
